Index
- General Standards
- Overlapping/Unison Dialogue
- Stuttering
- Slang/Shortenings
- Novel Utterances and Incorrect Word Usage
- Word Play/Puns
- Spellings
General Standards
Video should be transcribed 99.9 percent verbatim.
Do not fix verbs that are in the incorrect tense.
Example:
Correct:
- I seen him driving.
- I ain't coming round here no more.
DO NOT attempt to scribe differences in accent.
Example:
Incorrect:
- I axed him two questions.
- I love grocery shopping when I have quepons.
Transcribe stuttering if required by Reference Sheet or Job Type instructions. Use the double dash to indicate a character stuttering.
Correct:
- I -- I -- I couldn't believe that you — you would do that.
Contractions:
DO not use non-standard contractions.
- Non-standard contractions include contractions containing a proper noun (eg, Billy'll) or a combination of multiple shortenings (eg shouldn't've).
Correct: Billy will ...
Incorrect: Billy'll ...
Nother appears as its own word in the dictionary and does not require extra formatting. While it means the same thing as "another," follow the audio and scribe what's being said.
Incorrect: That's a whole 'nother issue.
Correct: That's a whole nother issue.
Overlapping/Unison Dialogue
All discernible overlapping dialogue should be scribed accurately, including the order of speech. Sometimes, characters will speak in unison (saying the exact same words at the same time). In these cases, only transcribe the statement once. No other indication should be used unless required by the Reference Sheet.
Unison dialogue DOES NOT include times where a character says something that is repeated shortly thereafter by another character.
Stuttering
The double dash ( -- ) should be used when a character stutters.
- Sometimes, it will be difficult to figure out which one to use if a character is stuttering and changing ideas. In these cases, use the double dash for any repeating words or sputtering, then use the Job Type or Reference Sheet's interruption marker (otherwise by default, an ellipsis) to denote a complete change in idea:
Correct: I -- I -- I couldn't believe that you would do something like ... You're a heartless demon!
The double dash should not be used to denote a sudden change in ideas, an emphatic pause or for a series within a phrase. Instead, use other appropriate punctuation (ellipsis, comma, colon, etc.).
Do not capitalize words that occur after double dashes because of stuttering, even if they are the first words of a sentence.
Example:
Correct: What — what do you mean?
Slang/Shortenings
You will be scribing what is said verbatim 99 percent of the time. Do not make corrections on grammar usage (such as verb agreement) or incorrect word usage (I got an ideal vs I got an idea).
Slang with no regular verb usage should be scribed verbatim.
Example:
Correct:
- What happened to all the salmon?
- Eighty-sixed by that greedy witch cat.
- That cat's going to wind up deuce-deuced if she keeps eating my food.
- Careful, bro. If she hears you, you might wind up deaded.
DO adjust slang and shortenings to their proper grammatical form. DO adjust slurred and poorly enunciated words.
Use the following rules of thumb for guidance:
- If the speaker is very deliberate, exclamatory, quotable or dramatic in their dialogue, type verbatim.
Correct:
- I'm going to fix you good!
- You're out of here!
- What you got for me, Pauly?
- Come here.
Incorrect:
- I'm a gonna fix you good!
- You're outta here!
- Whatcha got for me, Pauly?
- C'mere.
- Exception: I'm a fix you good! (It's too much of a stretch to convert "I'm a" to "I'm going to.")
Novel Utterances and Incorrect Word Usage
Novel utterances are frequent in colorful speech. Novel utterances do not include incomprehensible babbling, yelling, ululation, mumbling, etc. They are instead times when a character creates a new word either in whole or in part.
- Use a dash (-) to indicate an insertion.
- No way, cat. I'm not trying your cat nip. I'm into sob-freaking-reity.
- Except for "lengthwise," all constructions with "wise" should be scribed -wise.
- Weather-wise, it's been brutal. You're generally a good wizard, spell-wise.
- Novel utterances may combine full words with -y or -ish, et cetera, or whatever best follows the audio. However, if the word appears in Merriam-Webster or is considered a globally accepted term or special content, special formatting may not be needed
- Those girls didn't like you because you were being all Draco Malfoy-y. I like this house because it's more wilderness-y.
- The calendar says May, but it feels January-ish.
- That was a very cheesy pizza.
- What a sharky episode!
- The overall tone was very Pollyannaish.
Novel utterances are not the same thing as words that are slurred or mumbled.
- Scribe incorrect word usage verbatim.
- Don't correct me when I'm puntifercating! I'm pronunciating proper! I just can't decide between chocolate and vanilla. I don't know why I'm so ambitious about it.
Word Play/Puns
In general, use traditional spellings for any plays on word or puns. However, if the meaning is lost or unclear, use your best judgment on the spelling.
- My friend used to hit me with stringed instruments.
- I wish I had known about her history of violins.
- I'll ecsta-see you later.
Nonwords/Incoherent Dialogue
If a speaker is ad-libbing in lyrics to a song or using nonword sounds/onomatopoeia, do your best to spell out following the pronunciation.
- Be, de, bop, ze, de, bow.
- Bada bing, bada boom.
Use the indistinct/garb marker if someone is speaking gibberish or made-up language that is too incoherent to interpret, for example, speaking in tongues.
Spellings
In general, use hyphens or commas between letters between words being spelled out.
- C-U-S-T-O-M.
- C, O, P, Y, T, A, L and K.
Email addresses and URLs should be formatted as normally displayed like other special content, usually all lowercase.
- www.copytalk.com/scribeschedule
- customoffice@copytalk.com
- srqoffice@copytalk.com
- gnvoffice@copytalk.com
- athoffice@copytalk.com
For hashtags, use hashtag symbol (#) and format.
- Use the hashtag #NYCC22 on Instagram and Twitter
- Your posts on hashtags #YesWaffles and #NoWaffles could show up in our next episode!
Spell out the word hashtag if used generically like this.